Brexit

It is clearly evident that as long as your “house is in order” you have little to fear from Brexit if you live in Spain. Simon Manley, British ambassador to Spain, urges British citizens to register to show that they are residents of Spain as Britain moves ahead with the Brexit process. For many years a certain section of the British community in Spain decided that they would not register because they feared “putting their heads above the parapet.” As a direct result they are not legal residents of Spain. For years, I suspect, the Spanish authorities rather turned a blind eye to this state of affairs because afterall Britain was a member of the European Union and the whole process to legalise your situation was relatively simple. But all this changed when Britain voted to leave the European Union. British citizens who do not have the necessary paperwork and are not registered with their councils could have a problem. I say could because no-one is too sure what is going to happen when Britain leaves the European Union but it is quite obvious that if your paperwork is in order you have a bigger chance of a stress-free life! The days when you could live in Spain without “putting your head above the parapet” are clearly over. Times are changing and some expats need to change their outlook. If and when those people who are not legal and living in Spain come forward and register I suspect that the official figure of 300,000 registered Britons in Spain will rise dramatically.